“Yes,” she said, finishing her tea. “One would want that in a husband, no?”
Faith didn’t respond, and soon Grace was back with the book.
“I didn’t know there was an entire book on this subject,” she said, taking her seat again. “It covers everything from colors, to blooms to seasons. Every flower has a dozen meanings.”
“What do scarlet pimpernel mean?” Hope asked, pouring herself another cup of tea. “I’ve always liked them.”
“Amusement,” Grace said after searching the book for a moment. “I think that would be a clever flower to use.”
“What about yellow roses?” Faith asked. “There’s a dozen rose bushes in the garden.”
Grace flipped through the pages.
“While roses are generally connected to love,” she read. “Yellow ones represent jealousy.”
Faith frowned.
“That’s ridiculous.”
“It’s true. It says it right here,” Grace said, before turning to Hope. “Which other flowers will you choose?”
Hope reached for her spoon and added a swirl of honey to her tea before mixing it in. The idea of what flowers to choosehad been something she’d thought about for a long time. After all, she’d spent years expecting to soon be engaged to Jacob. She had her favorites, but it didn’t seem right to pick the same ones as she had contemplated before.
“I think, perhaps I’ll use goldenrod. Bees are supposedly very attracted to goldenrod.”
“And you wish for a swarm to walk you down the aisle?” Faith asked sarcastically.
“No, of course not. But Graham is fond of bees and I think it would be nice to consider it.”
“What does goldenrod represent, Grace?”
She winced.
“Precaution. But perhaps you could add some white roses and daisies to balance it out. Worthiness and shared sentiments.”
“Do you share sentiments?” Faith asked, her tone unsure.
“Of course,” Hope said with a frown. “Why do you ask?”
“It just seems to be happening a bit fast, all of this.” She waved her hand in the room. “Don’t you think? We only arrived her a few weeks ago and now you’re engaged?”
“I was pre-engaged to Jacob for years and look how that turned out.”
“Yes, but Jacob Pennington wasn’t suspicious.”
Hope stared at her sister, the pinpricks of defensiveness scattering up her spine.
“How is Graham suspicious?”
“I don’t know,” Faith said, putting down her napkin. “I just get a feeling from him. Like he’s hiding something.”
“Like what?” Grace asked.
“If I knew, I’d explain it.”
Hope had long ago realized that Faith was firmly fixed in her beliefs that men were not to be trusted. But surely Graham had done nothing to deserve such distrust. Moreover, somethingin Hope made her feel rather protective of Graham and while she had her own worries, they were hardly Graham’s fault. Jacob was the one who had discarded her so easily, who had shamed her for her desires. He was why she found it harder to trust now. But she didn’t enjoy speaking about those doubts Jacob had planted in her heart. If she could smother them out of existence, she would. For the time being, she’d choose to ignore them.
“If you have no sound reason to suspect Graham of anything, I must insist you refrain from these suspicions. If you can’t stifle them completely, at least avoid saying them out loud.”
